At-Risk Youth

At-Risk youth Program

At-Risk Youth Equine Assisted Therapy

NMET”s at-risk youth equine assisted therapy program is northern Michigan’s go to program to build confidence both inside the arena and into everyday lives. Equine Assisted Therapy is an internationally recognized intervention known to be especially useful in helping young people with issues of low self-esteem, communication, regulation of behavior, problem solving, coping skills and anger.

Horses have an extraordinary ability to read the body language and mirror the inner struggles of our youth. Equine Assisted Therapy is a powerful way of helping these young people find their internal controls and ability to manage difficult feelings and challenging situations.

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This program also helps young adults understand how to effectively handle and process challenges in their lives. A horse’s soothing nature teaches them to cope with it appropriately.

Sometimes it is hard for an at-risk youth to understand the cause of their issue. NMET believes a horse’s unconditional love provides honest feedback to the client. This feedback provides essential skills to build effective relationships with the horse and outside our facility.

Our goal is to:

Build observation skills

Evaluate perceptions

Develop effective means of communication

Set healthy boundaries

At-risk youth equine assisted therapy

All Young People Can Succeed

All young people have the potential to succeed in life and contribute to society, but many do not get the support they need to thrive. As a retired detective sergeant for 20 years, I feel our at-risk youth needs first to discover their identity without distractions. By using equine assistance, this program breaks each person down to better understand who they are.Working with our horses gives youth an opportunity to learn healthier relationship behaviors and patterns. As they experience the caring nature of a horse, they quickly relate these sessions with the respectable treatment of the people in their lives.

What others are saying

"Northern Michigan Equine Therapy with Courtney and J L was amazing. Watching the transformation in our kids from week one to week five was exciting to see! These kids made more progress in the hours spent at the Equine Therapy Center than they ever could have sitting in a therapist's office. Here at the court we always look for nontraditional therapeutic programs for adolescents who oppose talking with a therapist. In this setting the use of the horse with the therapist, has kids working and talking as they gain insight about themselves, enhancing their communication sills and understanding how they react in the circumstances of their life. Equine therapy was a valuable experience for our kids. Thank you Courtney and J L for taking on our adolescents! We are looking forward to our next group."

Lisa Muneio

Emmet County Probate and Juvenile Court Administrator

"Equine therapy had very shocking results. I was originally drawn to it because of the fact that we got to work with animals. I think that's why most people want to do it. I was skeptical at first because I didn't think that horses could help you improve your relationships with people. When working with the horses you see them act just like humans do. Once you see the way you treat your horse they act just like we would and it was crazy to think about it. It shocked me because when I was at home I would remember they'll act the way you treat them. I started seeing it with my family and it helped improve my relationships with everyone and it also helped me let friends go because of the way they treated me. I really believe the program can help because it did for me. My friends and family would all agree. I think it is something that people really need to start working more with, cause I see it being something very popular in the future.

At-Risk Student (name omitted for privacy purposes)

Emmet County At-Risk Student

"When you are tense, let me teach you to relax. When you are short-sighted, let me teach you to see. When you are short-tempered, let me teach you to be patient. When you are quick to react, let me teach you to be thoughtful. When you are angry, let me teach you to be serene. When you feel superior, let me teach you to be respectful. When you are self-absorbed, let me teach you to think of great things. When you arrogant, let me teach you humility. When you are lonely, let me by your companion. When you are tired, let me carry the load. When you need to learn, let me teach you. After all, I am a horse.